Tōshirō Hitsugaya
Tōshirō Hitsugaya is the captain of the 10th Division in the Gotei 13 and the main tritagonist of the Bleach ''franchise. His lieutenant is Rangiku Matsumoto. He is also the love interest of Ichigo's younger sister and fellow 3rd Seated officer, Karin Kurosaki, the older long-lost brother of the Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy Marvell, and a First Generation Ice Dragon Slayer after knowing about the true nature of Hyōrinmaru. Physical Appearance Tōshirō is a short, lean-built young boy with light skin, turquoise eyes, and short, less-spiked white hair with a single strand framing in front of his forehead and in between his eyes, which tends to draw attention in the Human World. He is relatively young by Shinigami standards and has the appearance of a child, but a year and a-half since Aizen's defeat, he has grown into a young man with a noticeably taller physique which still sports his rather lean physical built (almost matching at 155 cm). He generally displays a fearsome scowl to go along with his personality. Like most Dragon Slayers, Hitsugaya has elongated canine teeth. He wears a standard ''shihakusho and a standard sleeveless captain's haori ''with a dark green coloration on the haori's underside and the 10th Division's rhombus number on the coat's back, along with a thin, bronze chain around his shoulders, held together by a round, star-like chip. The chain holds his Zanpakutō sheath in place on his black and is tied to it at either end. He also wears a long turquoise scarf around his neck with a tattered design. Personality Hitsugaya is generally mature, stoic and serious, but also short-tempered and stubborn, in contrast to his free-spirited and nonchalant lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto. Despite their personality differences, he and Rangiku seem very close, mostly sharing an unbreakable bond. Tōshirō is shown to be easily annoyed by others goofing off or drawing unneeded attention to themselves, as shown when he leads a team of Soul Reapers into Ichigo Kurosaki's school. Hitsugaya hates anything that he deems childish as well as being described as something close to a child, such as an elementary school child, a further contrast to his appearance. He is overly protective of Momo Hinamori, due to the fact that they were old childhood friends, as well as his younger sister Wendy Marvell, after he finally found out about the origins of his family, and later gives her moral support and shows more of a genuine side because of her. He is even overly protective to Ichigo's young sister (and even his love interest), Karin Kurosaki, due to the fact that he deeply cares about her well-being. Hitsugaya dislikes summer and warm weather in general and only likes cold weather. Hitsugaya's favorite foods are watermelon and ''amanattō. He does not like dried persimmons. During his childhood in the West Rukongai, he was so skilled with spinning tops that he became the local undefeated champion. He works very hard, but his motive seems to be that if he finishes quickly, he can return to his afternoon nap. He believes in the saying "children who sleep well, grow well," and hopes to grow quickly, a wish shared by his subordinates. Naturally, they do not voice this fact in front of him, for even regularly practicing this adage for so long, he did not really grow in height. Hitsugaya is usually joked about by many of the other Shinigami in Soul Society as well as by his enemies. Hitsugaya has developed a cold and brooding attitude toward most people; he tolerates these jokes and goes on with his duties. Although he has shown anger towards jokes and can sometimes lash out physically and mentally when it goes too far, he doesn't take action against whomever insulted him unless they are his enemies. The only thing he cannot tolerate is not being addressed as "Captain Hitsugaya," or an inappropriate use of his name, as he worked very hard for the title, so he gets angry when not addressed as such. Coincidentally, though, he does not address any other officer with their title, only their first or last names. The only person that actually calls him by his given name is Ichigo, who is constantly reminded to address him properly, and Karin, Wendy and Hinamori, who are the only three people allowed to get away with it. Hinamori tends to call him "Hitsugaya" and she, Wendy and Ukitake occasionally use "Shirō-chan" - a nickname meaning "Whitey" in reference to his hair - in both cases without any repercussion. In addition, Karin and her friends call him by his first name and they are never given any rebukes for it. Jūshirō often gives Hitsugaya candy and other food because "Jū'shirō'" and "Tō'shirō'" sound similar and because they both have white hair, making them both "Shirō." During his duel with Gin Ichimaru, Ichimaru remarks that Hitsugaya is the embodiment of a heavenly guardian that would be reincarnated every few centuries. Like all Dragon Slayers, Hitsugaya gets motion sickness from any form of transportation (except his own Bankai or any Exceed he's partnered with), and it makes him feel embarrassed by those around him. Synopsis Main Article: Tōshirō Hitsugaya/Synopsis Abilities Ice Dragon Slayer Magic: Upon learning about his origins of Hyōrinmaru along with fellow Dragon Slayer '''and long-lost sister, Wendy Marvell, Hitsugaya has learned on how to use '''Ice Dragon Slayer Magic '''from his Zanpakutō and was taught by Hyōrinmaru and Wendy to know some of the basics. As the name implies, his Dragon Slayer Magic allows him to control and manipulate the element of ice and snow, much like the Shikai and Bakai abilities of his '''Zanpakutō. Like all Dragon Slayers, he's able to consume his respective element, with the exception of that which he has created, to replenish his spirit energy reserves. He can also incorporate the ice he produces into his fighting style, increasing his offensive power for more damage, and eventually cause frostbite to his opponents, even freezing them in his tracks. He is also capable of producing his ice for defensive purposes, such as creating ice walls for protection. Not only is the ice capable of freezing an opponent in their tracks, it's also capable of freezing even the hottest fire based on their magic or spiritual power; the ice created by this magic is much stronger and colder ice then normal with Hitsugaya's own body temperature being capable of freezing water into ice, much like his own Zanpakutō would. Though Hitsugaya still uses his Zanpakutō's ice-based abilities, he will mostly use his Dragon Slayer Magic for combat before relying on his sword's power. His own Dragon Slayer Magic is said to match the power of an Ice Devil Slayer, which can withstand and absorb the ice from the user who uses it, though the Ice Dragon Slayer's power will also be consumed by the Devil Slayer and vice versa. *'Ice Dragon's Roar': An ice version of the signature Dragon's Roar. When using this attack, Hitsugaya breathes a very powerful blizzard-like blast at his target, dealing frost damage when hit on contact. This move may also freeze the opponent in certain occasions. **'Ice Dragon's Frozen Breath': A seemingly stronger, more potent version of his Ice Dragon's Roar, Hitsugaya jumps over his target and releases a large, extremely powerful burst of light from his mouth; such a spell could freeze anything within an area ten kilometers, and could cause severe frostbite if hit. *'Ice Dragon's Claw': Hitsugaya freezes his feet with ice that increases his kicking power. The ice is so cold that wherever the attack hits, it can freeze the opponent. He can also use this move for jet-propulsion movements. *'Ice Dragon's Wing Attack': Hitsugaya freezes his arms and creates giant wings used for attack and support while throwing the opponent a few feet back. *'Ice Dragon's Crushing Fang': Hitsugaya charges at the target, then coats his elbow with spikes of ice slashing them, dealing damage to his target and leaving a trail of ice behind his target's mark. *'Dragon Slayer's Secret Art': **'Raging Blizzard': Hitsugaya propels himself into the air, and then spins whilst in the air and builds up snow inside his palms and Zanpakutō, once he is fully enveloped in snow, then he extends both arms and causes the snow to rise up from behind him and piles on top of his target, the snow then seeps through and slows all bodily movements and causes major damage as well as frostbite. Child Genius: Toshiro's most astonishing trait is his keen intellect and natural talent. He is the most gifted prodigy of the Shinigami Academy since Gin Ichimaru, as shown from him entering the Shinigami Academy on his first try despite his young age, graduating from the academy in a single year with the highest written and performance scores in each of his classes, joining the Gotei 13 shortly afterwards, and then becoming the youngest Shinigami to attain the rank of captain. He has been called many things due to this. Renji and Iba have called him a child genius and Ichimaru has called him the embodiment of the "heavenly white angel that blesses Soul Society once a century". In terms of intellect, Hitsugaya has shown to be equally impressive. He was even the first to suspect Ichimaru of treason and saw that there was more to Rukia's execution than what was being said. Shunsui, one of the strongest Shinigami in history, states that because of his genius, within 100 years, Hitsugaya could surpass him. Another feat of his intellect is that he was able to quickly master the basic spells of his Ice Dragon Slayer Magic before learning the only Dragon Slayer's Secret Art 'at a young age. *'Expert Strategist and Tactician: Despite his age, Hitsugaya has repeatedly shown great instinct and intuition in battle. He is generally aware of everything in his presence, and also able to see through most deceptions. For example, he discerned that Gin Ichimaru was more than he seemed, although he was not yet sharp enough to realize it was all part of Aizen's plot. As a Captain, he is a great battle strategist. He is given missions from Captain-Commander Yamamoto to lead teams into the human world many times to deal with large threats. For example, Hitsugaya led a taskforce sent by Soul Society which reinforced Ichigo's group against the Arrancar threat. In battle, he has shown great instincts against incoming danger as shown from his reaction to Halibel's initial attack after releasing, as well as predicting Ichimaru's attack method. Master Swordsman Specialist: Hitsugaya is masterful at swordsmanship, capable of utilizing his size to effectively counter and outmaneuver his opponents. He always strikes his opponents with fast and quick strikes before dealing critical blows in the next few slashes. His skill in swordsmanship is evident in the fact that he is the youngest Shinigami captain; he is therefore one of the youngest Shinigami to achieve Banaki. His skills in swordsmanship are great enough that he rarely uses even his Shikai in battle, of which he has shown great proficiency with. Instead he relies on Hyōrinmaru s sealed form, only using its Shikai or Bankai when things get tough. He is now able to utilize his Ice Dragon Slayer Magic to cover his Zanpakutō in ice, allowing him to enhanced the blows of his attacks and cause frostbite to his opponents before relying on his Shikai or Bankai. *'Hitosume: Nadegeri' (The First: Killing Stroke): A precision cut of extreme force and speed which can slice through large, multi-story high opponents. The opponent is killed with one swift slash so precise, they are not even aware of until after it has taken place. Shunpo Expert: Hitsugaya is highly proficient in Shunpo. Repeatedly in battle, he has shown himself able to block and dodge dangerous attacks. Kidō Expert: Hitsugaya is highly proficient in Kidō, and is capable of performing high-level Kidō spells without the incantation. Though he rarely uses Kidō in battle, since he's more proficient in swordsmanship and Shunpo, and would only use Kidō in desperate situations. Hakuda Combatant: Hitsugaya was able to knock out a grief-fueled Hinamori with a single blow, while in mid-air. However, he is usually seen using his Zanpakutō, so his skill in this field remains to be seen. After unlocking his Ice Dragon Slayer Magic, Hitsugaya can manipulate his magic to enhance the blows of his punches, kicks and headbutts, alongside his swordsmanship skills to deal more damage to his opponents. Enhanced Endurance: Despite his young and lean appearance, Hitsugaya is a very resilient fighter, and can take brutal damage without succumbing to his wounds. He survived the attacks of Shawlong Koufang while at 20% of his actual strength (due to his powers being limited in the Human World). He was also able to take the full force of Gin Ichimaru's Shikai attack through his left abdomen from side to side, and still continued fight despite his grave injuries. Immense Spiritual Power: Toshiro's spiritual power has the same effect as his Zanpakutō as it is an elemental representative of Ice. His Spiritual Pressure is said to be very large and "cold". Even before he became a Shinigami, his spiritual pressure was immense and uncontrollable, not unlike Ichigo, and caused people around him to freeze, namely his grandmother who lived with him at the time. This cold spiritual power of his reflects his attitude as well. He is also the youngest Shinigami to ever achieve Bankai and is said to be one of the most powerful captains in the Gotei 13. He even had visions of Hyorinmaru's spirit before he attained it or entered the Soul Reaper academy. He is able to hide his presence well, on several occasions he manages to surprise Hinamori and Matsumoto with his sudden appearances, which leads them to complain about "sneaking up" upon them, though Karin is capable of sensing him due to her own amount of spiritual energy. His Reiatsu color is light-blue. Zanpakuto Hyōrinmaru (Ice Ring): When in its sealed state, Hyōrinmaru looks like a normal katana with the exception of the guard, which is in the shape of a four-pointed bronze-colored star. Its hilt is colored light-blue, and the sheath matches this in a dark-blue color. The sheath has been shown to completely dissolve when he draws his sword, suggesting it is part of Hyōrinmaru's design. The sword is somewhat longer than most Zanpakutō, at about one-and-a-half meters long. This makes it taller than Hitsugaya, preventing him from wearing it at the hip. Instead, he carries it on his back by his chain-like sash over his right shoulder. Hyōrinmaru is the strongest of all ice and snow-element type Zanpakutō in Soul Society. As such, Hitsugaya doesn't need water to be present in order for him to use all of the sword's abilities. Hitsugaya's control over Hyorinmaru power is great enough to use its' Bankai attacks while in Shikai, though with medium control over them. Through the usage of his Dragon Slayer Magic, Hitsugaya can increase the cold temperature of his attacks into making them more dangerous than before. *'Shikai': Hyōrinmaru's Shikai release command is "Sit Upon the Frosted Heavens" ("Reign over the Frosted Heavens" in the English Dub). In its Shikai, Hyōrinmaru's blade extends slightly in length, and gains a crescent-shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain, which can extend greatly if necessary by force of will. The chain itself can be used as an attack or to entangle a target. : Shikai Special Ability: Hitsugaya allows Hyōrinmaru to control all forms of water and ice. His slashes create an immense amount of spiritual power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a flow of ice shaped like a Chinese dragon. The dragon flies towards opponents and instantly freezes anything it touches. Hyōrinmaru can create multiple ice dragons to attack an opponent from various angles. Hitsugaya can also direct his slashes towards the ground and form a wave of ice which rushes over his opponents, overwhelming and freezing them. The chain-blade also freezes anything Hitsugaya traps with it. The power it expels is so overwhelming that in Soul Society (where Hitsugaya is not placed under a limiter), its mere release affects the weather within the immediate vicinity, creating a thunderstorm or a blizzard. *'Tensō Jūrin' (Subjigation of the Heavens): One of Hyōrinmaru's basic powers and its strongest. It allows him to control the weather in the immediate vicinity, or more specifically, control the water in the surrounding atmosphere. Hitsugaya states that this aspect of his powers is not fully mature and that he doesn't like to use it in Bankai mode, as he is unsure of whether he could control it and keep from killing everyone in the vicinity. The ability is usable in both Shikai and Bankai modes. *'Ryōjin Hyōheki' (Woven-Ice Wall): Histugaya generates a protective wall of ice by finely weaving threads of ice together, capable of blocking enemy attacks. *'Bankai': Daiguren Hyōrinmaru '(''Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring): Upon activation, it causes ice to flow from Hyōrinmaru onto Hitsugaya, starting at his right arm which ice forms onto in the shape of a dragon's head around sword hand, encasing it up to the hilt; which also changes from the shape of a four-pointed star to that of eight-pointed star. The ice continues forming up over his shoulders with two large wings sprouting from his back and a long tail. The ice forms down his left arm encasing his hand which ends in a claw. Hitsugaya's feet are encased in ice in a similar manner to his left hand which as they to end in claws. These new ice limbs are movable and can be used as an extension of himself to aid in battle. During some appearances of his Bankai, three flowers of ice form floating behind him, each consisting of four purple petals shaped like diamonds. These petals melt away petal by petal as Hitsugaya's battle progresses, leading Shawlong Koufang to speculate that Hitsugaya's Bankai will fade when all twelve petals disappear, assuming that the captain's Bankai was incomplete due to his young age. Following the final battle against Aizen, Hitsugaya trained and strengthened his Bankai considerably, completing its development after two years of hard work. : '''Bankai Special Ability: Much like his Shikai, Tōshirō can freeze objects and areas, though the radius and strength of the freezing is greater. Because the Bankai's ability is much greater, Tōshirō can swing his tail around as a weapon to try and freeze objects. Hyōrinmaru's Bankai lets Tōshirō access several additional techniques. *'Bankai Regeneration': Hitsugaya has the ability to regenerate the lost parts of his Bankai by using the air in the atmosphere to form ice. *'Shield of Ice Wings': Hitsugaya is capable of wrapping his wings around himself like a sphere, protecting him from any attacks and only receive little damage. *'Enhanced Ice Dragon Slayer Magic': When in his Bankai, Hitsugaya's Dragon Slayer Magic is greatly increased and it's frostbite effects now work at a wider range. *'Enhanced Ryōjin Hyōheki': Hitsugaya's Ryōjin Hyōheki '''has been greatly enhanced to the point where not only has the size and length of the technique has increased, but became more durable to withstand even the toughest attacks that could break the original one. *Hyōryū Senbi' (''Ice Dragon Swirling Tail): With this technique, Hitsugaya swings his sword in a linear direction and creates overflowing ice with his blade in the form of a crescent. **'Zekku' (Void Sheer): This ability allows Hitsugaya to control his Hyōryū Senbi technique and send it up into the air. *'Guncho Tsuara' (Icicle Flock): Hitsugaya can transform water into ice and then swing his Zanpakuto in an arc which fires an array of ice daggers at his target. *'Ryūsenka' (Dragon Hail Flower): When Hitsugaya stabs his opponents, a huge burst of ice erupts from the point of contact between Hyōrinmaru and the opponents, encasing and freezing them. Hitsugaya can then proceed to shatter the ice and his opponent with it. *'Sennen Hyōrō' (Thousand Years' Ice Prison): Hitsugaya creates many ice pillars which encircle him and his enemy. At his command (when he turns his sword 90° counter-clockwise), these pillars then move towards the enemy, enveloping and crushing it. Though this technique is very powerful, Hitsugaya infers that it takes a considerable amount of time to prepare, and therefore the distraction of his enemy is crucial in successfully completing this attack. *'Zanhyō Ningyō' (Lingering Ice Doll): Once per activation of his Bankai, Tōshirō is able to create and shape a large amount of ice into his exact likeness. It is very life-like as it can appear to bleed. It has yet to be revealed the exact circumstances that limit the use of this ability to one use. *'Hyōten Hyakkasō' (Frozen Heaven Hundred Flower Funeral): This ability is rarely used by Hitsugaya and only is produced under his Tensō Jūrin power. The ability opens up a huge hole in the clouds through which a large amount of snow falls down on to his opponent. Whoever the snow touches begins to sprout ice flowers all over, which instantly freezes them in a pillar of ice. Hitsugaya claimed that when the last of the 100 petals falls, that person's life will come to an end. Relationships Family *Unnamed Grandmother *Wendy Marvell (Younger Sister) Friends/Allies *Hyōrinmaru (Zanpakutō Spirit) *Rangiku Matsumoto (Lieutenant and Best friend) *Team Karakura **Momo Hinamori (Childhood best friend and older sister figure) **Karin Kurosaki (Love interest and Third Seat, also best friend) **Ichigo Kurosaki (Close friend and Arch-rival; close as brothers) **Rukia Kuchiki **Renji Abarai **Uryū Ishida **Orihime Inoue **Yasutora Sado *Yuzu Kurosaki *Isshin Kurosaki *Ikkaku Madarame *Yumichika Ayasegawa *Izuru Kira *Shūhei Hisagi *Kisuke Urahara *Yoruichi Shihōin *Shinigami Captains **Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto **Suì-Fēng **Rōjurō Ōtoribashi **Retsu Unohana **Shinji Hirako **Byakuya Kuchiki **Sajin Komamura **Shunsui Kyōraku **Kensei Muguruma **Kenpachi Zaraki **Mayuri Kurotsuchi **Jūshirō Ukitake *Sasuke Uchiha *Gray Fullbuster *Carla (Sister's pet Exceed) *Romeo Conbolt (Best friend and friendly rival, close as brothers) *Alphonse Elric Rivals *Ichigo Kurosaki (Arch-rival) Enemies *Ryuha Armament Alliance **Shin Uchiha **Silver Fullbuster *Sōsuke Aizen (Arch-enemy) **Gin Ichimaru **Kaname Tōsen *Hollows *The Arrancars *The Espada **Yammy Llargo **Tier Harribel **Ulquiorra Cifer **Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez ***Shawlong Koufang **Luppi Antenor *The Bounts **Jin Kariya **Go Koga *Maki Ichinose *Xcution **Kugo Ginjo **Yukio Hans Vorarlberna Theme Songs * Background in Other Media Trivia * Quotes * Battles & Events References Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Shinigami Category:Dragon Slayer Category:Shinigami Captains Category:10th Division Category:Gotei 13 Category:Hitsugaya's Family Category:Team Heroes Category:X-Class Combatants Category:Bleach Series Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Allied Forces Category:Leaders/Commanders Category:Playable Characters Category:Most Popular Characters Category:Team D Category:Special War Powers Category:Grand Allies Games Participants Category:Insurgence Members